What we learned; Sunday 8 March
And that’s where we’ll leave you this Sunday. Here’s a snapshot from today:
Australia is not participating in an “offensive action against Iran” and will not deploy ground troops, but may play a defensive military role in the conflict in the Middle East, Penny Wong said.
Nine direct flights have repatriated 1,549 Australians from the Middle East as of 5.30am, with five more en route to Australia from Dubai today.
The shadow attorney general, Julian Leeser, has called for the Australian government to offer asylum to the Iranian women’s football team now competing in the Women’s Asian Cup on the Gold Coast.
Flooding continues throughout the Top End, with the entire community of Nauiyu (Daly River) evacuated and Katherine still cut off.
Emergency declarations remain in place for the Katherine, Beswick and Daly River regions, but Beswick has been downgraded to a watch and act alert.
About 1000 people are taking shelter from the floods in the Northern Territory.
In Queensland, a severe weather warning is in place for the north-west, with a tropical low gradually expected to move to the south-east by tomorrow. Isolated six-hourly rainfall totals of up to 100mm are likely, along with falls as high as 170mm on the Sunshine Coast.
Alleged members of a secret online child exploitation group have been charged with more than 1,000 offences in what police are describing as “one of the most significant online child abuse investigations in Australia”.
The NSW government has opened expressions of interest for the location and management of a prospective new major film studio in Sydney.
Three teenagers have been charged with murder after a good Samaritan was killed in an allegedly “savage” stabbing attack while trying to help a 14-year-old schoolboy.
Two men have died after being pulled from the water on the NSW Central Coast yesterday evening.
Thanks so much for your company today. Look after yourselves, and I’ll see you next time.
Updated
One Nation candidate calls Julia Gillad a ‘non-productive old cow’
Pauline Hanson’s candidate in the byelection for Sussan Ley’s seat likened former prime minister Julia Gillard to a “non-productive old cow” that should be destroyed before suggesting the comments were tongue-in-cheek.
David Farley, an agriculture businessman, was picked on Saturday as the One Nation candidate for the 9 May byelection for Farrer, which Ley held for 25 years.
The race – a critical first test of the party’s surging public support, and of the Liberals under Angus Taylor – was triggered by Ley quitting parliament last month after being ousted as Liberal leader.
Farley, 69, is a Narrandera-based irrigator, father of three daughters and grandfather of seven.
As the chief executive of the Australian Agricultural Company in 2012, he made a reference to the then Labor leader as he spoke about cows being destroyed using new abattoir technology.
Read the full story here:
Updated
